Improved apparatus for testing coal-oil



l UNITED I' STATES PA*IEllTA 0FFICE'.

JOHN TAGLIABUE, vOF NEV YORJQ Y.

IMPRovED APPARATUS Foe Tesrmie'- COAL-oir.-

Spvcilieation forming part of'liettels Patent No. 36,488, dated epimnber-lll,dfi.

Be it known that I, Jona-. TAGLIAnUnt-of New York, in the county and State, of New "York, have invented a new and-Improved Apparatus for Testing the Explosiveness oijGoal- Oils or Petroleum, which I believe .to over;-

eome the objections which pertain to .all the apparatus heretofore in use for that purpose,

Aand to furnish a uniform and reliablejtest' of lthe temperature to which suehgliquidsmay be exposed before evolvingan explosive', vapor.

The following specification, taken iiieon-. nection with the accompanying draWings,'making part of the same, I hereby declare to be a sufficiently full and exact description of my, said invention to enableothers skilled in the art to make-and use the saine.`

A want of even approximate 'uniformity in the results obtained has'attendedn the use of resulting from a wantof perfect uniformityin the conditions and from defects in the appa-' ratus used.- This uncertainty is of so serious a character that in severalfexperiments made upon the saine sampleof'oilkthe` .,results varyV -sometimes as much as sixty degrees.

To produce reliable tests it is necessary that the oil should be heated uniformly, vin order that `the thermometer may ind'ieatethe true temperature at which the explosive vapor'isv evolved, that thegleast possiblefquantityV :of heat should be transmitted to the surface of the oil fronLt-he testing-flame, and that the'y size and height of this flame fromthe surface of the oil should remain as nearlyas'possible at a given standard.. By the construction of;- my apparatus .I believe these conditions are readily f ullled and uniform results obtained. withfor'dlnary care in -eondueting the experiments.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of the apparatus; and Figs. 2 and 3 are views ofthe burner.

A is a case, and B an alcohol-lamp made in an ordinary form for the convenient application of heat to oil tobe tested.

- C is a metallic vessel supported'witliin A,-

` above thelame of the'lamp B. Holes ccare made in 0,"near the top, to allow the surplus water to'iiow out, thus securing a certain and uniform level'of the 'water in O, \vhicl 1 'serves as aWaterbath 'for the -even transmission "-o .Dis another vessel supported within C, andV at adistance from the sides and bottom thereof. A rib or groove, "d, is formed i n I)'ats1'1eha point-that when .supported in Q this rib or groove 'will eomejnst opposite the bottom of the'holes l'c. iA A' support, E, extending from near the top of D, sustains a thermometer, F, asrepresented.-

The burner is made as follows: -A-short 'glass tube, -I I, `about theone thirty-seeomlth'v part of an inch in dianetn-is .ittedwith' a'slightllead at each end, andra fine wire, I, coiledaround it, as represented- This wire is shorter-'than the diameter of D, and its ends are Asecured in two pieces of cork, K, or other suitable noncondueting'liisubstanee. The V.adjustment is such that only the head on tl1e 'izpper'}e11d of H projeets above the plane ofthe upper end vof1`[)which adjustment is so simple that a 'Sl'ighft'inspectionwill atany time .determine its acenraey,='=and a bending of7the .'wire l i will suieeto readiu'st itin'.caseit'becomes (le- 'ranged- Amiek of cotton or other proper ber is fitted in H to reaeh down into the oil `in D.' f

` The modeof testing oils by thisy apparatus is as follows'rThevessel I) islledup to-.the ridge d with the oil which it is desired to'test. The vessel C is lled nearly full of weten-rand Dfplaced therein, whiehieauses-"aportion of the water tooverlowthrough lthe holes c, thus bringing the oil vand water at the sarne 1evel,

as represented- The thermometer E ispleed in position andthe burner ili- IKflai'df upon 'D,"so as to bring Il n'ear th'e. fcenterthereof. The wick in H is` new lighted fand the -wiek drawn down until. the ame M is atiits minimum size.vv Coal-oil possesses thepeeuliar yproperty of-eausing-the iiaine to increase' in size as it 'burnsmnder -ordinary,jconditions;

but with my improved burner,'iwhen theflame is thus adjustedfit remains constant Heat'is .now applied 'throughithelamp'B to the-Water in C,which transmits it to theoil in Din a vvery even'andflgradual manner iii-consequence of the water entirely rsurrounding the -oi l, which latter. is insured by the construction of Athe .water-loath. As oil is a poor conductor of ca-v lorie, it is'essential, that i,t beheated as uniformly as possible,- and to secure lthat end it should befheatedslowly; as thetemperature rises andappraches" the point at rwhich-vit is supposed'-the*explosivevapor -will 'be gensans low' of the gradual imparting to the oil of the vexcess of heat which always obtains in the water. Should this not be sulheieut the lamp must be replaced for a moment' and again removed, until it is found that un explosive vapor is generated. This is known by such Vapor being exploded bythe Haine M, and the temperature indicated at this instant by the thermometer is that at which that sample of oil becomes dangerous. A

I am aware that several forms of apparatus :1nd modes of testing this quality of coal-oils and petroleum have been suggested and used io some extent; but I believe my improved apparatus to possess the following advantages over all 'others heretofore proposed for that purpose: First, vuniform heating of the oil from' the uniformity of the height of the Water in the water-bath, as compared to .that of the oil; second, uniformity in the size of the fiume' M, arising from the employment of theglass capillary tube H,in the manner described; third, minimum amount of disturba-nee from the heat of the Haine M, due to the employpurpose set forth.

ment of the glass wick-'tube H and the noneoudncting supports K:- r

Possessing these advantages, my apparatus is capable, with ordinary care, of producing more -reliable result-s than any with which I am acquainted.

Having now fully described my inventlon,

what I claim as new therein, and desire to seeure by Letters Patent, :is- Y 1. The employment of the holes c c in the bath C, in connection with the mark d, for adjusting the'height of theoil in D, for the 2. The employment of the glass capillary wick-tube H, for the purpose above specified.

3. Supporting the"\\7'iektube Hbymeans of a poor conductor for thepurpose of preventing the transmission of heat from the flame MV -to the oill in D, substantially as herein described.

' JOHN rAGLiABUE.

Vit-nesses: Y i I (JHAs. W. SMITH I.. D. SNYDER. 

